The present invention relates to an arrangement for developing photomaterials in a rotatable drum accommodating a photomaterial.
Arrangements of the above mentioned general type are known in the art. In the known arrangements various treatment fluids for the development process are accommodated in a series of supply vessels. The characteristic feature of the known arrangements is that the drum is rotatably connected with its end opening to a free end of a turnable arm, and in this way the drum connectable with the arm can be displaced between two inclined working positions by a simple lifting and lowering movement of the arm. This arrangement is disclosed in the European patent application No. 81,108,169.4. In one case, the drum is located in a substantially horizontal initial position in which the treatment fluid from a supply vessel or spraying water flows via a lowering inlet pipe located in the arm for the respective treatment of the photomaterial in the drum. In another case, the drum is brought to an inclined emptying position so that the treatment fluid discharges in a return flow through the above mentioned inlet pipes when the treatment of the photomaterial is completed.
In the above described arrangement an automatic operation is carried out by an expensive control, in accordance with which a supply vessel inserted into a temperature bath is connected via a pressure air supply and a riser conduit with the inlet pipe and actuated via a pressure air control. A flowmeter monitors the quantity of the fluid which has been filled and ends the process. This automatic arrangement is too expensive for a photo amateur. The interested photo amateur has as a rule a manually operating developing device and therefore he is unwilling to make high investments for an automatic arrangement while the manual device still functions.
There are also professional automatic arrangements which require magnet valves or pumps with dosing devices for supply of the treatment fluid. These control means are costly and susceptible to failures. Since very aggressive treatment fluids are used in the arrangement, the magnet valves are encrusted and require a high service expenditures.